Established golf markets, emerging countries and small island nations came together this week to celebrate women and girls playing golf by hosting some of the most attended events in the nine-year history of Women’s Golf Day (WGD).
A lot has changed since WGD launched in 2016, but anyone who has looked around the world of golf over the past week (May 28 – June 4) will have seen the iconic red and white of WGD brightening the lives of women and girls around the world.
The week kicked off in style with a new social media activation for WGD Palooza. The digital activation for viewers included videos and giveaways from WGD partners and special messages from celebrity guests, including Callaway LPGA Tour star Morgan Pressel. As has become the norm, WGD’s social and digital footprint exceeded expectations, with increases across all metrics. Impressions surpassed 241 million and engagements reached 733,000, nearly double last year’s numbers.
“Get Social” was the theme of the week, even for in-person events, with WGD founder Elisa Gaudet leading the way. Gaudet hosted an event at Palm Beach Par 3 in Palm Beach, Florida, and attended first-time events at Augusta Ranch Golf Club in Mesa, Arizona, and the Omni PGA Frisco Resort in Frisco, Texas, just steps from the new PGA of America headquarters.
Elisa was also among the 320 women who took over Dobson Ranch Golf Course in Mesa. The team, led by Natalie Farahani, fully embraced the WGD ethos and invited 20 female vendors to participate in this dynamic and fun event.
“What an incredible week! It’s always exciting to see places around the world use WGD to connect and engage with women and girls, but to witness it firsthand is incredibly inspiring,” said Gaudet. “Many of the women I met this week are just starting out or relatively new to their golf journey and I’m confident many of them will continue to have a passion that will last a lifetime.”
“The shared joy that you get at these events is unique and very rewarding. You often hear that it wasn’t what they expected and that they felt comfortable and wanted to continue playing casually or get more involved in their game. I’m thrilled to have been able to attend so many events this year.”
WGD has traveled the world’s islands with events taking place from Japan to Mauritius, Madeira, the Bahamas, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Greece, Turks and Caicos, French Polynesia and Hawaii. Japan hosted 125 events in various locations this year, thanks to WGD’s relationship with the Japan Golf Association.
Although the WGD has already been held in 84 countries, new countries are always emerging on the scene. This year, Rwanda in East Africa joined the community through WGD Ambassador Marlon Weir. The Kigali Golf Resort and Villas hosted 70 golfers and 30 beginners at its first event.
The WGD Ambassador Network has also been busy organizing events in various locations across Africa, the Dominican Republic, Italy, France, Morocco, Puerto Rico, Poland, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States, and the number of women participating was greater than ever.
